Bengaluru: In what could be a major crackdown on high-pressure coaching centres, Karnataka govt has issued draft rules barring children under the age of 15 from enrolling in private coaching institutes and restricting daily tutorial operations to fixed hours between 6am and 9pm.The proposed Karnataka Tutorial Institutions or Coaching Centre (Registration and Regulation) Rules, 2026, notified by the higher education department Wednesday, aim to curb rising academic stress, misleading advertisements, and non-refundable fee traps.Under the draft norms, private coaching centres are strictly prohibited from admitting students who are below 15 years of age or who have not completed their secondary school (class 10) exams. To prevent exhaustion and mental pressure among young learners, the state has capped total daily coaching — inclusive of tests, revision, and doubt-clearing sessions — to a maximum of five hours. “The time of operation of the tutorial institutions shall be between 6am and 9pm,” the official notification states, adding that classes cannot be scheduled at unreasonably early or late hours.Furthermore, institutes cannot conduct classes during regular school or college hours, to prevent nominal attendance in mainstream schools. Currently, many coaching centres follow a model where students join dummy PU colleges and spend most of their days at the coaching centres.The draft also mandates that coaching centres have a mental health counsellor and conduct periodic workshops and sensitisation sessions regarding mental health for students and parents.Coaching centres also cannot make public the results of assessment tests, either within or beyond their premises. “Keeping assessment tests confidential, they should be used for regular analysis of student performance… and the student whose performance is deteriorating should be provided counselling as per the provisions of these guidelines,” the draft states.Tutors will have to undergo training in mental health issues to convey information effectively and sensitively to students about areas of improvement. Apart from options for admission in engineering and medical institutes, “information about other career options should be provided to students” so they do not feel stressed about their future and can explore alternative careers.Coaching centres are also prohibited from employing faculty from govt or aided institutions. They cannot hire the services of tutors convicted of any offence involving moral turpitude.There will be two district-level monitoring committees — one for Bengaluru Urban district and another for the remaining districts of the state — to monitor the functioning of these centres and oversee compliance.This draft will replace the Karnataka Tutorial Institutions (Registration & Regulation) Rules, 2001. Members of the public can send recommendations within 15 days of publication of the draft.What’s being streamlined?Coaching centre in the draft refers to “a centre, established, run, or administered by any person to provide coaching for any study programme or competitive exams or academic support… for more than 20 students.”Meanwhile, tutorial institution means “an establishment that provides academic support, acting as a personalised learning environment (includes coaching centre or tutorials or tuition classes or trust or society or institution or any other such establishment) that supplements mainstream education, focusing on exam preparation, clarification, and individual progress of students.”Both are synonymous in the draft.On fees & refundsAddressing long-standing complaints from parents regarding exorbitant advance payments, the new regulations mandate that coaching centres cannot collect the entire course fee in a single upfront lump sum. Instead, they must offer parents the option to pay in at least four equal instalments.The tuition fees should be fair and reasonable, and receipts should be made available.In addition, the rules introduce an easy exit policy: if a student drops out or withdraws early, the institution must refund the advance fee for the remaining duration on a pro-rata basis within 10 days. Hostel and mess fees must also be refunded promptly.On registration* Tutorial institution has to register through the Seva Sindhu portal in whose jurisdiction it is situated* Every application is to be accompanied by geotagged location of the premises* In case of multiple branches, each branch will be treated as a separate tutorial institution* If there are hostel facilities, all necessary approvals should be taken* If operating under a franchise agreement, the application for registration should be submitted by the franchisor on behalf of the franchisee* Registration fee of Rs 15,000 + Rs 5,000 for each course* Deputy commissioner of each district will be the registering authority. Commissioner, department of collegiate and technical education, will be the appellate authority* Validity of registration is 3 yearsNo false promisesThe draft regulations strictly ban coaching centres from making misleading promises, guaranteeing top ranks, or publishing deceptive claims regarding student results and faculty qualifications.Required infra* Assign at least 1sqm of floor space per student in classrooms and 10sqm for teacher to move around* Adopt standard measures for disaster risk reduction* Adhere to fire safety codes, building safety codes and other standards. Fire safety 12 certificate, building safety certificate and sanitation certificate to be obtained* The centre should be fully electrified and adequately ventilated, with provision for sufficient illumination in each classroom* Separate toilets for boys and girls* CCTV coverage* Complaint box* Extracurricular activities* Minimum of 20 and maximum of 80 students per classPenaltyUnregistered centres operating within six months face immediate sealing by authorities. The appellate authority has the power to cancel registrations or slap heavy penalties of up to Rs 5 lakh for serious non-compliance.
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